# !!!

!!! (/tʃ(ɪ)k.tʃ(ɪ)k.tʃ(ɪ)k/ ch(i)k-ch(i)k-ch(i)k), also known as Chk Chk Chk, is an American band from Sacramento, California. Formed in 1996 by lead singer Nic Offer, members of !!! came from other local bands such as the Yah Mos, Black Liquorice and Pope Smashers. They are currently based in New York City. The band's ninth album, Let It Be Blue, was released in May 2022.

## Background and history

!!! was formed in the fall of 1996 by the merger of members of the groups Black Liquorice and Pope Smashers, while on tour. After a successful joint tour, the two bands decided to mix the disco-funk with more aggressive sounds and integrate the hardcore singer Nic Offer from the Yah Mos. Offer has cited Depeche Mode and Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark (OMD) as influences.
The band's name was inspired by the subtitles of the movie The Gods Must Be Crazy, in which the clicking sounds of the San people's Juǀʼhoan language were represented as "!". However, as the bandmembers themselves say, !!! is pronounced by repeating thrice any monosyllabic sound. "Chk Chk Chk" is the most common pronunciation, and the URL of their official website and the title of their Myspace page suggest it is the preferred pronunciation.
The band's full-length debut record came out in 2000 as a self-titled album on the label Gold Standard Laboratories. This was followed in 2003 by the single "Me and Giuliani Down By the School Yard", a lengthy track combining house beats with sinewy basslines, psychedelic guitars, and simple lyrics which quote the title song of the musical Footloose.
A second full-length, Louden Up Now, was released on Touch and Go in America and on Warp Records in Europe in June 2004. In June 2005 !!! released a new EP covering "Take Ecstasy with Me" by The Magnetic Fields, and "Get Up" by Nate Dogg. The following December, the original drummer for the band, Mikel Gius, was struck and killed by a car while riding his bike.
They released their third album, Myth Takes in 2007.
!!! is composed of Mario Andreoni (guitar), Dan Gorman (horns/percussion/keys), Nic Offer (vocals), Rafael Cohen (bass/various electronic devices), Chris Egan (drums) and Meah Pace (vocals).
Vocalist and drummer John Pugh officially left the band in July 2007 to concentrate on his new band Free Blood. Vocalist Shannon Funchess stood in for Pugh during much of their 2007 tour. The band also shared membership with the similar, defunct group Out Hud (including Tyler Pope, who has played with LCD Soundsystem and written music for Cake).

## Discography
### Albums

List of albums, with selected chart positions :
| Title | Album details | Peak chart positions | Peak chart positions | Peak chart positions | Peak chart positions | Peak chart positions |
| Title | Album details | US | US Elec. | FRA | JPN | UK |
| !!! | Released: 2000 Label: Gold Standard Laboratories | — | — | — | — | — |
| Louden Up Now | Released: June 7, 2004 Label: Touch and Go/Warp | — | 4 | 169 | — | 135 |
| Myth Takes | Released: March 5, 2007 Label: Warp | 195 | 3 | 134 | 36 | 135 |
| Strange Weather, Isn't It? | Released: August 24, 2010 Label: Warp | — | 13 | 112 | 54 | — |
| Thr!!!er | Released: April 29, 2013 Label: Warp | — | 18 | 117 | 62 | 121 |
| As If | Released: October 16, 2015 Label: Warp | — | 18 | — | 80 | — |
| Shake the Shudder | Released: May 19, 2017 Label: Warp | — | — | — | 153 | — |
| Wallop | Released: August 30, 2019 Label: Warp | — | — | — | 166 | — |
| Let It Be Blue | Released: May 6, 2022 Label: Warp | — | — | — | — | — |
| "—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory. |||||||

### EPs

* Lab Series Vol. 2 [GSL26] (Split with Out Hud, 1999, Gold Standard Labs)
* Live! Live! Live! (November 20, 2004, Beat Records, Japan only)
* Yadnus (2007)
* Jamie, My Intentions Are Bass E.P. (November 2010)
* Daytrotter Session (May 29, 2013, Daytrotter Studio [Rock Island, IL])
* R!M!X!S (January 8, 2014, Japanese Import, WAP359D)
* MEGAM!!!X Vol.1: Shake Shake Shake (March 21, 2018)
* Certified Heavy Kats (July 31, 2020)

### Singles

List of singles, with selected chart positions :
| Title | Year | Peak chart positions | Album |
| Title | Year | UK | Album |
| "The Dis-Ease/The Funky Branca" | 1998 | — | Non-album single |
| "Me and Giuliani Down by the School Yard (A True Story)" | 2003 | 84 | Louden Up Now |
| "Pardon My Freedom" | 2004 | — | Louden Up Now |
| "Hello? Is This Thing On?" | 2004 | 74 | Louden Up Now |
| "Me and Giuliani Down by the School Yard (A Remix)" | 2004 | — | Louden Up Now |
| "Take Ecstasy With Me/Get Up" | 2005 | 213 | Non-album single |
| "Heart of Hearts" | 2007 | — | Myth Takes |
| "Must Be the Moon" | 2007 | — | Myth Takes |
| "AM/FM" | 2010 | — | Strange Weather, Isn't It? |
| "Slyd" | 2013 | — | THR!!!ER |
| "One Girl / One Boy" | 2013 | — | THR!!!ER |
| "And Anyway It's Christmas" | 2013 | — | Non-album single |
| "All U Writers" | 2015 | — | As If |
| "Freedom '15" / "Sick Ass Moon" | 2015 | — | As If |
| "Bam City" / "Ooo" | 2015 | — | As If |
| "I Feel So Free" (Lost Souls of Saturn Remix) | 2016 | — | Non-album single |
| "The One 2" | 2017 | — | Shake the Shudder |
| "Dancing Is the Best Revenge" | 2017 | — | Shake the Shudder |
| "Serbia Drums" | 2019 | — | Wallop |
| "I'm Sick of This/So We Can F*ck" | 2020 | — | Non-album single |
| "Do the Dial Tone" | 2020 | — | Certified Heavy Kats |
| "Walk It Off" | 2020 | — | Certified Heavy Kats |

### Other projects

* !!! (1997, tour cassette)

## Footnotes

* ↑ Coscarelli 2007
* ↑ Locker, Melissa (May 9, 2013). "Turntable Interview: !!!". Stereogum. Retrieved May 24, 2021.
* 1 2 Seabrook 2007
* ↑ Anon 2005
* ↑ Diver 2006
* ↑ Maher & Solarski 2007
* ↑ Lopez 2010
* ↑ Chinen 2007
* ↑ "!!! (Chk Chk Chk) Chart History: Billboard 200". Billboard. Retrieved September 19, 2010.
* ↑ "!!! (Chk Chk Chk) Chart History: Top Dance/Electronic Albums". Billboard. Retrieved March 21, 2021.
* ↑ Anon 2014
* ↑ Anon 2017
* 1 2 Anon 2017a
* ↑ Minsker 2013
* ↑ "Wallop by !!!". Apple Music. Retrieved June 20, 2019.
* ↑ "Let It Be Blue by !!!". Apple Music. Retrieved May 7, 2022.
* ↑ "!!! (Chk Chk Chk) Announce Certified Heavy Kats EP, Share New Song: Listen". Pitchfork. July 8, 2020. Retrieved August 19, 2020.
* ↑ lostsides (April 2, 2014). "Chk Chk Chk (!!!) – And Anyway It's Christmas (2013)". Christmas Underground. Retrieved March 16, 2023.
* ↑ Hilleary, Mike. "Listen: !!! - "And Anyway It's Christmas"". www.undertheradarmag.com. Retrieved March 16, 2023.